Twin-engine Piper struck mountain on Santa Catalina Island

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AVALON, Calif. — A twin-engine plane crashed into a mountain Wednesday on Santa Catalina Island, killing all five people aboard, authorities said.

The victims were three adults and two children, said Brendon Peart, supervising dispatcher for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. There was no immediate identification of the victims.

The seven-seat Piper Seneca went down between the island airport and the city of Avalon while making a second landing attempt, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Donn Walker. It had flown in from Long Beach in poor weather and missed its first approach, Walker said.

The downed craft was located near Orizaba Mountain after a search by the Coast Guard, the island's lifeguards and county helicopter crews.

Catalina's Airport in the Sky is in the center of the island at an elevation of about 1,600 feet.